Srinagar: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha Tuesday said that Jammu and Kashmir would soon be among the world’s top-50 destinations.
An official spokesman in a statement issued here said that inaugurating the third Tourism Working Group meeting at Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar, the LG said, “Our aim is to make the countryside and popular destinations more sustainable and preserve the beauty of fascinating heritage sites. I am confident that under the leadership of PM Modi, J&K will soon find its place in the top 50 destinations of the world and it will be on the travel bucket list of global travellers.”
He said that under India’s G20 presidency, the Tourism Working Group was focusing on five inter-connected priority areas that would provide a roadmap for tourism as a tool for achieving sustainable development goals.
“J&K is developing the country’s largest book village on the banks of Wular Lake as the aim is to make the countryside and popular destinations more sustainable and preserve the beauty of fascinating heritage sites,” Sinha said.
He said that after a long pause of almost four decades, J&K had revived the relationship with Bollywood and launched a film policy in 2021 to attract more investment into the film sector and to make J&K the most popular film shooting destination.
“It is poetry. It’s a land of realisation. It is an energy field vibrating with the ageless Indian cultural values. Tourism in J&K is also a reflection of the multi-religious and multi-cultural ethos of India. Under the guidance of PM Modi, we have ensured that the transition in the tourism sector in the backdrop of pandemic focuses on the needs of travellers, interests of industry stakeholders, create employment opportunities, and promote environmental awareness,” the LG said.
Addressing the third Tourism Working Group meeting, he underlined why PM Modi selected J&K for the G20 meeting.
Sinha said that J&K was witnessing a new era under the leadership of the PM and it had opened up limitless possibilities of growth and peace.
“PM Modi through development schemes that empower masses and J&K’s effective administration isolated the terror eco-system which thrived with the support from across the border. Now even foreign investments are also coming into J&K, green shoots of better times people are anxiously looking up to,” he said.
The LG said that tourism in J&K was also a reflection of the multi-religious and multi-cultural ethos of India.
Underlining the importance of peace for growth and tourism, he said, “Tourism cannot grow in isolation. The economics of it is fine, that tourism needs good infrastructure, sound policies and effective and responsive administration. No less fundamental to me is the fact that only peace and happiness of people can bring warmth in the hospitality we Indians eternally enjoy.”
Sinha said that today, J&K stands among the developed regions of India on some measurable milestones, and the administration was committed for people’s prosperity both economically and socially.
“PM Modi has completely eliminated injustice, exploitation, and discrimination which several sections of society faced for seven long decades owing to circumstances that evolved mostly because of orchestration from abroad. We are ensuring social equality and equal economic opportunity to all citizens, which is also enabling them to contribute to nation building,” he said.
Shedding light on J&K’s transformation, the LG said that the grass root democracy had been strengthened; new industries were coming up, rapid agricultural growth was making our villages prosperous; new institutions had been opened up in higher education; youth were being trained for Industry 4.0 technologies; infrastructure development was progressing rapidly and the emphasis on technology was transforming J&K into a digital society.
He said that in the past 4 years, thanks to the visionary leadership of PM Modi, J&K’s ranking on various parameters of sustainable development goals had gone up.
“The world can see that the entire society, especially the young generation is scripting a bright future for themselves and the nation. The speed and scale of rapid development in J&K are awe-inspiring. Our speed to execute infrastructure projects has gone up almost 10 times,” Sinha said.
Acknowledging the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism and the world, he said, “COVID-19 pandemic made the world realise the hard way the virtues of traveller’s well-being and also the values of a shared vision ‘One earth, One family and One future.’”
“The paradigm shift towards sustainable living, inclusive and sustainable development is also an opportunity to provide new impetus to sustainable tourism. I am truly delighted that under India’s G20 presidency, the G20 Tourism Working Group is focusing on five inter-connected priority areas. Green tourism, digitalisation, skills, tourism MSMEs, and destination management will provide a roadmap for tourism as a tool for achieving sustainable development goals,” the LG said.
He said that J&K was already working on a few of the priority areas identified by the G20 Tourism Working Group like green tourism, skills, tourism MSMEs, and digitalisation.
Sinha said that in the post-pandemic era five key building blocks would promote environmental awareness, protect the ecology, improve the economy and livelihoods of communities, and inclusive growth of stakeholders.
Underlining that the G20 Tourism Working Group meeting was taking place in the land of majestic peaks, crystal-clear lakes, and serene green landscape, he said J&K was more than a tourism destination.
The LG said that a record number of 1.8 crore tourists visited J&K last year and the tourism sector made a 7 percent contribution to J&K’s GDP.
“We have identified 300 new destinations to promote green tourism, Small and Medium Enterprises, youth and women entrepreneurs, and involve local communities to support sustainable tourism,” he said. “Tourism sector in J&K has been accorded the status of industry and all fiscal incentives as per our industrial policy and I can tell you, we are receiving massive investment proposals from the industries in the hospitality sector.”
Sinha said that more than 300 movies were filmed in the region last year and such enthusiasm was bringing about a qualitative change in the lives of the people.
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science and Technology and MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Jitendra Singh; Union Minister of Culture, Tourism and the Development of the North Eastern Region, G Kishan Reddy; and Union Minister of State for Tourism and Defence Ajay Bhatt were also present at the inaugural function of the third Tourism Working Group meeting.
The inaugural ceremony was attended by the delegates of G20 nations, international organisations, and invited countries.